Coach Will Hall's staff enters fall camp trying to piece together an offensive line from scratch, and that's the biggest challenge.
Was the Tulane Green Wave offense that explosive last season? Not exactly. But it got the job done without flash.
It’s not yet clear what offensive identity the Wave will take on under new head coach Will Hall.
But he faces an immediate challenge in getting the offense situated with so many departures on the offensive line.
An offense can have a stellar quarterback. It can have talent like Jamauri McClure leading a loaded running back room. It can have shifty and reliable receivers.
However, if a team has an offensive line that borders more on the offensive side, things won’t get anywhere but ugly fast.
That’s the biggest hurdle for Coach Hall and his staff as they look to replace nine offensive starters. Four of those come from the offensive line.
Left tackle Derrick Graham, center Jack Hollifield, and right guard Jordan Hall graduated, while left guard Shadre Hurst hit the transfer portal.
That leaves just one starter, right tackle Reese Baker, who might even slot into right guard this season.
They have another key depth player in Elijah Baker, who stepped in as starting left guard against Ole Miss in the September matchup when Hurst slid over to tackle due to an injury to Graham, and performed quite well under the circumstances.
But for a team that is looking for a starting quarterback, a starting center is crucial to that relationship.
Tulane may hope that returning center/guard John Bock is that guy, and he was primarily at center through spring camp.
Bock joined the team last season before an injury kept him out of the entire campaign.
They also have returners Dominic Steward and Darion Reed, who played at right tackle early in the season while they were figuring out the right side of the line.
Transfers Ryan Mickow and Gavin Marks also slot in as options, with Mickow offering real stature at right tackle standing at 6-foot-7, 311 pounds.
They’ll be charged with protecting whoever the starting quarterback ends up being, likely between Kadin Semonza and Zeon Chriss-Gremillion.
They also have a new offensive line coach in Cody Kennedy, though he’s essentially working from square one in building together the right order of parts and personnel.
The Green Wave also have a strong running game to protect and open up lanes for, and they have a back in McClure who is notably shifty and may be able to make some magic work out of the backfield.
But as much as the quarterback competition makes the headlines, the five heads in front of him will determine the future of Tulane’s upcoming season.
